LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant Walter Evan CHITTY
Service No: 410039
Born: Canterbury VIC, 21 February 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 8 November 1941
Unit: No. 514 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Waterbeach
Died: Air Operations: (No. 514 Squadron Lancaster aircraft LL733), English Channel, 30 July 1944, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Walter and Annie Amelia Chitty, of East Malvern, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Malvern VIC
Remembered: Panel 256, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 120, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 0613 hours on 30 July 1944 Lancaster LL733 took off from Waterbeach detailed for bombing operations on Caen, France. It was carrying 18 x 500 lb (pound) (225 kg) General Purpose bombs and 1710 gallons (7,800 litres) of petrol which allowed for approximately 7.30 hours of flying time, with an anticipated flying time of approximately 3 hours. Nothing further was heard of the aircraft after take-off. The body of one member of the crew was recovered from the sea, and it was presumed that the remainder of the crew members were lost at sea.
The crew members of LL733 were:
Flying Officer William Stewart Bonell (J/24522) (RCAF) (Air Bomber)
Flight Lieutenant Walter Evan Chitty (410039) (Pilot)
Warrant Officer Leslie Arthur Ding (1380408) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Charles Mathieson Guy (1820355) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Edward William Jenner (1811733) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant John Edward Richardson (1485703) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator/Air)
Flight Sergeant George Charles Wells (1334325) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/7/293